The Hammers take on Stoke City tonight at the Britannia Stadium in what will be a vital game in their quest to overhaul Reading for the final play-off spot.
Pardew said to the official site, “This is a key game. We have to win at Stoke to really put the pressure back on the teams above us. If we do that, and cut the gap to one, then we’ll be right back in there.
“We need to really attack this game and get things going right from the kick-off. If we can get off to a good start and put some pressure on Stoke early on we’ll have a good chance.
“We’re still very optimistic about our chances of making the Play-offs.”